judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on "newshour." audio record. new recordings have the present admitting to misleading the american people about the severy of covid-19. then, the west coast is burning. high win fans the flames of uncontrolled fires across the region. al national forests in california are closed and more power outages are expected. ♪ plus, matters of justice. the federal government moves to defend the president against a 25-year-old rape allegation, moving the case to federal court. add more racial divide. covid-19 hits communities of clor in the united states

alady facing disparities. >> they have high risk t because work they are doing. they have high risk because they take public avansport. theyhigh risk because they are living in crowded conditions. judy: all that and more on tonight's pbs "newshour." ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ moving our ecomy for 160 years , bnsf.

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publi corporation for broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. ♪ has broken out at ite firestorm house tonight, as wildfires ravage much of the west coast. first, what the president knew and what he said publicly as covid-19 pandemic began. its recounted in a new book but bob woodward. john j begins our coverage. -- john begins out -- john yang begins our coverage. john: president told washington post reporter bob woodward he knew it was in the air. >> that is how it was past. it is a tricky one and very decate one. it is also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.

this is five per, 5 versus 1% ff less than 1%, you know, so this is deadly s john:nd that sin stark contrast to public statements at the time. th is the president three days after that interview. president trump: in april, in theory,t when i gets warmer, and miraculously goes away. i hope tha john: in march, president trump told woodward he was deliberately downplaying the >> i always play down.s. i still played down. i don't want to create a pandemic -- a panic. ntvice presi biden: he knowingly lied about covid-19 to the country for months. he had the information. he knew how dangerous it was. and as this deadly disease ripped to our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose.

it is a life-and-death betrayal of the american people. john: president trump defended his comments today at white house event today. >> i am a cheerleer for this country. i love our country. i don't want people to be frightened. i don't want to create panic, as you say, and certainly i am not going to drive this country and world into frenzy. we want to show confidence. we want to show strength. we want to show strength as a nation. john: according to a new nbc news mart poll out today, biden leads trump in pennsylvania by nine points. and in florida, they are in a virtual tie. on tuesday, the trump campaign announced in august it raised $210 million jointly with the republican national committee, their best month to date, but still well below biden and the democratic national committee's $364 million in august. on thursday, the president hits

the trail, heading to michigan. for pbs newshouri'm john yang. judy: for more but bob woodward's new book, we are ined by "washington post" reporter and moderator of pbs' is washington week, bob costa. bob, you told me you have read the book and listened to many of the the audio recordings provided by bob woodward. how much does he say about what the president knew? bob: woodward recounts bed on his reporting president trud was t on january 28 of this year by top national security officials robert o'brien and matthew pottinger that the coronavirus was the greatest national security threat he had yet seen in his presidency. pottinger compared to the 1918 flu pandemic which killed millions worldwide.

just a few days later, the president told woodward that the virus is very deadly, and you saw that in the clip shown by john yang. judy: and weow just a portion of what the president was saying in public at that time. but what was the contrast then between with tnt presinew, what he was sharing with bob woodward, and what he was saying to the american people? bob: one thing that comes through in woodward's book "rage," is that it is dr. redfield, dr. fauci, matthewo' 'brien, pottinger, galaxy of national security and medical siofficials telling the pnt of the united states in january, february, and march that the ic is deadly, is on going to grow in scope and is not going to disappear, and they are urgingti drastic, draand sweeping action. yet, that action is not taken

til march in terms of shutting down businesses and having people stay home and social distance. the president was even thinking about having rallies at the same time he was being briefed about the seriousness of the virus. anti-cap telling the american people that this virus -- and he capped telling -- he kept telling the americaneople that this virus was going to go away, that it was seasonal, and neofficials behind the s were telling a different story. and woodward was talking to the president simultaneously and hearing that real story from president trump. judy: and according to woodward's book, the president with chinese president zations jinping, who was sharing some of the seriousness of the president of course went on to be very critical of president xi. but what about the president's defense that he was doing this for a reason, he didn' frighten the american people. bob: that was the president's defense. he said he didn't want to create

a panic. the presidentold woodward in march of this year that he deliberately played down the pandemic is a threat for the exact reason he stated today, he does not want to create a panic. at- as a reporter, it is not for me to say how the american people will judge this, but this comes less than two months before the presidential election. and you now have a president on tape, and it is unprecedented, to have a series presidential interviews on tape this close to an electionut a the biggest issue of this presidential season, the pandemic. and the book goesn and many other ways about north korea, about the president's flippant remarks in terms of how a scussed race, discussed president, senator harris, etc. don't have time to get into all just stunning comments from people high up in the trump administration p james mattis, er defense secretary, da

cook warmer director of national intelligence, all this adds up to a fairly damning picture. bob: it is there pichat woodward concludes, president trump is not the man for the job. he still has distance in the way he writes the book, but has an assessment thathe end, saying the president, based on his experience of interviewing him at watching him, is the wrong man for the job. that is bob's statement, the final sentence of his own book, this book, so late in his career , he is saying tope the american le here is what i know, here is what i think. and he is also providing tapes. so something going back to watergate,oodward so famous for the tapes inside the white house and tapes once again becoming an issue in american judy: again, some money things to bring out, but one thing that stood out to me was his comment praising the nor korean leader, kim jong-un.

kim jong-un, describing how smart he was, beyond sma, it stands out how he praises someone like the north korean leader. bob: and we ve seenn your own reporting, judy, and others at pbs, the relationship between woodward is that in detail and shows how kimong-un, this dictator, is writing to president trump about their relationship, calling it akin to a fantasy film, this wonderful thing, it is a precious thing that want to preserve. and woodward challenges president tmp on these issues and says, what is this all about, all this flowery language? president trump curses in the course of several interviews, saying it is no big deal. and you c guess the phrase he used, and he said it was just like to meet him, trying to keep the peace, there is this unusual, to say the least, rapport between a dictator and the president of the united

states on page, throdyh letters. just a lot of material here that i know we will continue to report on. for being with us.ou very we appreciate it. bob: thank you. ♪ judy: and now to the west coast, where blowtorch wins sent wildfires raising a new today. the oregon governor reported hundreds of homes had burned. california struggled again to corral fires up and down the state. stephanie sy has our report. stephanie: heavy winds and high humidity, the forecast brought fresh danger to mucf california, or smoke from two dozen active fires blotted out the sun in the ba area, turning the skies area orange- - an eeri

e orange. >> all the windows are open in my house, and look how dark it is this is crazy. stephanie: the creek fire, the biggest in the state, is raging unchecked. authorities say it burned hundred 60 buildings -- 5000 maurice to fresno.reatening all national forests were closed down statewide today, to print other 5 -- to prevent other fires from corrupting. farther north, rapid fire exploded overnight in butte county l which to evacuatio orders and warnings, including for the town ofis parade, decimated by the state's adliest wildfire coming 2018. -- deadlie wildfire, in 2018. morehan 2 million acres hampered in california, and unprecedented amount thisin eary he season, but the weather service warns of unprecedented

fire danger and mh of the u.s. organ dealing with already five active fires, terusands oo evacuate, state of emergency declared overnight. satellite imagery shows the staggering amount of smoke from fires there and in california. in washington state, wildfires burned more acreage in a single fullhan normally seen in year.the cruise in washington be through smoke-filled skies overnight, much of the devastation center around the small farming town of malden in the eastern part of the state. >> everything gone, clothes, beds, everything. stephanie: about 80% of structures were destroyed. strong winds are driving fires and other parts of the west, from arizona to montana. still, cruise andome regions got respite -- still, crews in some regions got respite. snow near denver helps contare there. >> weather in the 80's yesterday

and now in the 20's today. wstephanie: extrether and extreme fires. but back in calitornia, reason ope for a break. >> the windto activity appear be dying down, which is encouraging. and the rest of the week looks a little more favorable. stephanie: for pbs newshour, i'm stephaniey. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy back with the rest of the news headlines. we will return to judy woodruff and the full program in a dating ttern fires, first fatalities are reported tonight, including a one-year-old boy killed whe fleeing with his family from a fire in washington state, and a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother in oregon. orga governor kate brown warned the loss of fe -- loss

of lives from the wildfires could be the worst in the sta s there is at least one death connected to the bear fire in california. overseasn greece, 3500 people left with nothing after their the camp on the island of lesbos housed 12,000 asylum-seekers and already faced an outbreak of covid-19. we will get details the united nations has issued a new climate warning that could mean more a natural disaste extreme weather. the new report says world is now nearly two degrees warmer than during preindustrial times. the targeted ceiling is 2.7 degreeunder the 2015 paris climate record. --aris climate accord. the report says the world may pass that ceiling in a decade. the world initute of health instant -- insisted today there will be no compromise on safety with a coronavirus vaccine.

yesterday, dgmaker astrazeneca paused late stage trials for a vaccine candidate when a pa unexplained illness. at a senate hearing today, the nih director francis collins said that the pause proves esafety overridrything, including politics. >> i can't say strongly enough that the decisions about this vaccine are going to be based on science. i know i speak for my colleagues in the government and certainly for the scientific community ebroadly, that that can b the only basis upon which this decision is made. otherwise, the public would not stephanie: president trump has talked of getting a vaccine before the election, but collins said no one can predict that. the united states is with drawing -- withdrawing more than 40% of i remaining troops from the region this month. e thmmander said the number will drop in iraq from 5300 to

4000. he said the iraqi people are n t ab deal with the islamic state on their own. 10 died and atea 30 or wounded after an attack in kabul today. officials say a bomb was hidden in a cart by a roadside and exploded as the vice president's convoy passed by. osted a video messa about the attack. >> a huge, horrific explosion targeted our convoy while we were driving to work. a number of my brave bodyguards were wounded. me and my son sustained minor burns on our faces and my hand was injured. because elosion is very strong, it melted the windows of the vehie. stephanie: the taliban denied it rried out the attack and as it gets ready for expected peace talks with the afghan government. back in this country, ar for federal homeland security official, brian murray, -- brian

murphy, said hwas told to manipulate intelligence to benefit president trump politically. he said top homeland security and white house officials wanted to play down russian interference in d s. elections ay up tiny under rainy and -- chinese and iranian interference, among other things. the white house denied improper influence on intelligence today. on wall street, techtos stop the bleeding, at least for a rallied. the broader market the dow jones gained 439 to ose at 27,940. e nasdaq rose nearly the s&p 500 added 67, it's best day in three months. still to come on "newshour," the justice department gets involved in the case of a rape allegatioh againspresident. a major fire destroys europe largest migrant camp on the

greek island of lesbos. how to teach a new generation practical skills working with their hands. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour, frometa studios in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: last night's move by the department of stice to intervene in a lawsuit against president trump has critics of the administration crying foul. william brangham begins our coverage of the unusual legal firing. william:tt aorney general william barr defended thent justice depar' is moved to shield the president from legal exposure. >> ts was a normal application of the law. itdone frequently. william: the doj asked to take

over as president trump's indefens defamation lawsuit filed by woman who accused the president of rapin her. in 2019, advice colnist e. j ean carol alleged that in the 1990's, donald trump raped her in a department store dreing room. the justice department move woul v shift theue from new york state court to federal court and substitute t u.s. government as the defendant instead of president trump. that would mean the government instead of the presideld be on the hook to pay financial damages the president's accuser might be awarded. president trump has denied carroll's accusations. >> it is a total. the station. i don''t know nothing about h william: but carrol'slal gation is that the president harmed her. her attorney called barr's this

is shocking. this isn't the first time the attorney general has inserted himself into a politically fraught investigation connected to the president. barrro overruledsecutors and tried to limit the prison sentence of trump ally roger stone, who was convicted of lying to congressial investigators. president trump later commuted his sentence. to dismiss its own case against trump national security advisor michael flynn. for a cl look, i am joined by david loughman, who held senior roles at the department of justice during the george w. bush and barack obama administrations. is now an attorney in private practice. david, gladha t you here. by attorney general barr? move

tdavid: i cnk of anything comparable to this, where the department of justice is comincu to the rof a president in connection with his public comments about private behavior many years ago, and alleged sexual assault, that itlf ould shock the conscience of all americans who care about the department of justice's essential role as independent arbiter of the rule of law. william: let me understand this. attorney geral william barr said this happens all the time and set other presidents and vice president's had done this, that this is not unusual. david: ts is probably not a case of the likes that he was referring, where at issue president or executive branch official acted within the scope of their official duties the president comments about rape allegation, and that don't square the scope of his official duties.

is shocking the department of justice and attorney general would say so and i would be tstunne district court found so. william: one of the arguments the department of justice was making is that when the president said those things denying the assau allegations in the things he said about mrs. carroll, that he was acting in his role as president and thus it is appropriate for e doj to make this move. david: i don't think that is a version of the president's protection frowiliability that square how courts have historically addressed these issues peered william: are there other historical comparisons --. these issu william: are there other historical comparisons? when bill clinton was ghng thro the polly jones case, i don't remember the department of justice saying, we will take this on. david: it never entered bill

clinton's mind.er it never e the attorney general's mind. represent him in that debacle. and this is the latest in a roguesf galleryher examples where the department of justice and president trump's nd-picked has been weaponized for the president and not his central role as an independent arbiter of the rule of law. william: you worked at the department of justice and we complicated relationship with the doj, that is probably the best way to put it, and what our staff lawyers and attorneys and people within the doj feeling? do they feel this is appropriate? david: i will just say it is reasonab for the american people to believe these types of events are jarring, jarring to e rank and file men and women of the department of justice, career attorneys, fbi agent's, law enforcement agents across the country who da day put

their nose to the grant -- who day-to-day put their nose to the grindstone to carry t the law and fear the need of improper political influence. it doesn't makeheir jobs any easier. if you think about trials that take place in courts across this country, if an assistant u.s. that the uted states, if ansent fbi agent takes the witness cstand, what credibilit jurors attached to the government? is that credibility and trust eroded? that is one of the greatest fears i and former apartment of justice officials have. william: back to the carroll case, what does it mean that the president, if the doj moviessf succ, but the president is no longer the defendant, that u.s. government is the defendant?

that means doj lawyers will now working on the president's defense. what happens if they are successful? fdavid: they are successful, my understanding is that as a matter of law, that will bring the case to an end. the united states government defamation, soor will have the defective result of bringing this case to an end to protect the president from the embarrassment and potentially liability he could incur if ts case moves forward on its previous course. william: we do the president lost his appeal he new york state to delay this case and was on t cusp of perhaps having to do a sworn interview about the case and perhaps giva sample to miss carroll's lawyers. you think theiming is suspect, that that is why the attepney general d forward to act now? david: i can't speak to motives and intentions that miss carroll

hawith respect to the theing of lawsuit. but that should nothing to do with thete inapproprse of the department of justice as an instrument of the president's personal, petty grievances. it is completely inappropriate. william: thank you very much for your time and helping us wade through this. david: thank you. ♪ judy: fire ripped through a refugeen amp othe greek island lesbos today, and reignited today. the camp was crowded and unsanitary but the only place thousands our special correspondent has this report. malcolm: along with fellow lost everything in the flames.

>> [speaking foreign language] malcolm: it was europe's largest refugee camp. it was supposedo house 2000 come but 13,000 leave in squalid conditions -- lived in squalid conditions. now, they are more destitute thanver. >> [speaking foreign language] >> s now we willep on the streets. what c we do. we don't have food. we don't have anything. what can we do? malcolm: morning realed e true extent of the catastrophe. so far, 35 migrants t ve forovid. they were obliged to isolate, and there were fears migrants could end up in detention. >> everything is a mess.

they wanted to put us in jail. they want to put a fence around us. we don't want to behere. they started learning things. i think maybe it started with a bonfire that went crazy. people have had enough. malcolm: this man runs a nonprofit cald team humanity to help the migrants and said he went into the camps to lp people. so far, no deaths are reported. there was anger that authorities stopped the refugees. the greeks waste camp effectively in quarantine, because they don't want the virus spreading. they blocked i front of mycity. center. malcolm: theat relnship between a islanders refugees is frequently fractious. ther has been a campaign to remove the asylum-seekers to the mainland.

the conditions in the camp have consistently been condemned as inhumane. greece has long complained it is unable to cope with tenssa of ths of asylum-seekers, some stuck in the country fo years. it has appealed for international help after the fire, and germany responded. >> now is the time to define, together with degrees, what help is needed -- togeth with the greeks, h whatp is needed. we have helped greece many times in the pasweand of cours will do so now. welcome: the disaster exacerbated tensions between islands and their unwanted neighbors. the u.n. refugee agency appealed to migrants to stay close to the remains of the camp while efforts are made tatfind a new a ion. ♪

judy: a new poll of america's c four largeies underscores the disproportionate economicf impact the pandemic on black and latino americans. a poll of residency in new york, chico, los angeles and houston, found at least half of all residents had either lost a job or wages or hours, but the percenta of hours with financial problems sword above 70% for black and latino residents in some cities. problems soa -- problems soared above 70% for black and latino residents in some cities. mhl sender has more on the impact. reporter: in april after a trip to a crowded supermarket in sick.inia, maria felt

the 45 came down with symptoms that sounded like the ones she had heard on tv. -- the 45-yearld came down with symptoms that sounded like the ones she heard on tv. >> i had a headache. bodyaches. it was hard to swallow. i just wanted to stay in bed. reporter: her test came back for covid-19. e was told to isolate. that was easier said than done. dshe emigra from el salvador in 2003 and works as a dishwasher and shares a two bedroom apartme with h three daughters and a friend and her two daughters. >> i was afraid for myself and my girls, for everywho lives the house. we live in an apartment that ise very small and are seven of us. that is a lot. this is the reality for latinos right now. reporter: across the river in southwest washington dc, cecil brown an his fiancee are just

nocovering from covid-19. both have lost friends and family members to the virus and say there were dark moments along the way. >> i have hypertension. i was seeing myself on ve i was just thinking the worst. reporter: she works at a mental health center in washington and says that were not enough protections toher from catching the virus there in soon after, cegan showing symptoms. >> i di't feel she was in safe environment. and then, she gets it. and then, she brings it to me. so i was angry, i was really, really angry. reporter: together,hese stories help explain what is driving a national trend,to accordin recent "new york times" analysis of data. african-americans and latinos

are three times as l cely to contraonavirus and nearly ice as likely to die from it, as whites. >> economic issuesre drivi the impact of the virus in minority communities. reporter: dr. boston, is with a series of clinics for low income resident w lack health insurance. since the panmic, he is rampedes upng to try and mitigate the spread. immigrants count for 90% of the positive sent immigrants account for 90% of the positive tests even though they are oy 50% of his clients. >> they have higher risk because they take public trans they live in crowded conditions because they can't afford to liveor inern virginia or the district of columbia.

reporter: and this area, the median home prices double the national average inany low-wage workers in construction, health-care, grocery stores and restaurants, also live in crowded homes were infections spread. >> that is what has driven the epidemic in these communities. reporter: while latino residents are hit hard in northern virginia, in washington dc, like residents toatch it. despite making for three quarters of the city aths. >> -- for a perfect lace strike and ravag wildfire, it found us. reporter: in washington dc, one third of families live below the party line in this board needs

in ccer, diabetes, and other city's highest rate of deaths from covid-19. one was curtis, 55-year-old from trinidad who started his own business. he was a workingman. he had a staff like so many other people. :report why are so many black people dying of the have you back.

we just read the report about the pandemict the disproportionate effect of people of color. i want to aswaabout bob wo's book, the revelations up today -- out today, gary, that the president knew in late january how serious it was, told woodward he knew it was much more deadly f than the, and yet he continued to tell the public it would go awayny, for eeks after that. i know it is early, but what is your sense about how voters are going to react? gary: i rd several stories about the book. i have read several of bob

woodwar'sook. i don't know there is a big contradiction. thpresident said early on it was a deadly situation. he did compare it to the flu. the flu can be deadly. the president's motives h,e wanted to keep the economy open, he wanted to keep things i don't think he ever wanted to shut things down even though he had to. but i think most people here who support him aresa going t we all knew it was deadly and that others will of course make a case that he was lying, he was covering up, and i think a lot of people here will just say, yes, he knew it was deadly, but he was trying to keep people calm he didn't want panic across the country, he wanted things to remain normal. judy: it also meant he didn't take sweeping steps tha some say he could have taken, should

have taken, he publicly acknowledged the severity of her. but sarah marsh, one about kansas and what is your sense of how people may react? sarah: i agree with gary that his existing supporters likely will not bail from the trump ship over this, if they haven't thus far over othernt versies. just like with data about the coronavirus, we are seeing over and over again on partisan lines, we can easily predict and track the way people respond o o news bastheir political leanings. bearing on indepenoters, i doubt folks who are supporting trump will be moved by this

news. judy: there is so much else to ask about the book, derogatory presidents -- derogatory remarks abou the president fro people high up in the administration. but i want to talk about the economic message cing fro the president, versus what they may be hearing from joe biden. what is your sense of how people are reading that? gary: people weren't happy where i w live that everythi totally shut down. they ftat a moreted approach was necessary. twherere were hotspots, yes, more drastic action was needed, but to shu down everything across southern ohio, for example, people generally t happy with it. to say that means they gave trump credit for the economy thatxisted for.

everything shut down for the pandemic. they believe his policies worked then and if we could just get back up and running, they will work again. judy: sarah, i know you talked to folks a lot, tell us what you are hearing, tell us what people are perceiving as they sense the messages. what is coming through to themom about the ec sarah: the state of kansas had a woefully outated infrastructure at its department of labor when they were slammed by historic levels of unemployment claims last spring. they have spent every day since toiling to restructurend address the demand. so meanwhile, while the state is waiting for congress to act with a renewed aidge pacwe were approved or 60 $3 million in

fema funds. so kansans are aware there is a lp coming frofferent revenue stream. and as far as how this relates what stages are landing, the economic crisis dovetails with th pandemic and people's belief in or lack thereof regarding the coronavis kind of addicts how whether trump is d goodnomy and job. yesterday, the wichita city council, our largest city in kansas, held a meeting as to whether to extend the mandate that was passed in response to the broader county basically revoking the tate-level masked man date. there has been a lot of jurisdictionsg battld passing yay or in a -- yay or

nay onin masks dely corresponds with political leanings. that meeting yesterday for seven hours had self pro lamedom advocates who were giving a line about theno e and the economic imperative to stop imposing such measures on small businesses. they are a vocal minority. st people that i see here think the economy is a disaster and it is related to the pandemic, but the messages about questioning ma wearing and social distancing and validityt abe numbers of the virus have definitely gotten through to a large contingent of april. -- contingent of people. judy: so much more i would like to ask you about, sarah and garythank you both. ♪

judy: finallyig t, as colleges are starting classes in new ways, online, inn, perr hybrid, a familiar question is being asked. his college worth it? -- is college worth it? are there jobs on the other end? and shop questions, do you know how to makanything with your hand? a four-your collegenan south caros connecting those dot s. jeffrey brown shows us this unusual place where students started the year full-time in pers and witho cases of covid reported. the piece w filmed before the pandemic as part of our ongoing arts and culture series.

jeffrey: iron and firca not your ty college materials, but part of the daily life at the american college of the building arts. retired lieutenant general colby brockmeier is president. >>xi thes to fill a void in the united states. we have no one teaching these crafts to the young men and. jeffrey: this school, houston reored 1897 trolley barn, has under 100 students. this is where the president's dog is after an italian renaissance architect. it has even been f theus of the popular pbs. series, "this old house" part trade school, part traditional liberal arts college, it awards a bachelor of applied sciences degree. everyone is required to te a

variety of science and humanities courses. choose from seven areas of concentration,di inc stone, plaster and brick masonry, timbe framing and architectural carpentry. tuition, under $10,000 a semester, with 8 of students getting some financial aid. but most of all, it is hands on work taught by mastercraft men like jack brubaker. >> when i ask mylf how do i do something, oftentimes instead of saying, do this, well, there is this way, this way, this way, and they t a broader experience andhey can choose om that. jeffrey: architectural preservation studies restoration. >> trades, i went to treat

school, t and mentally difficult. i went to trade school for carpentry and new construction and got a degreen preservation, because this school didn't exist. and i come here because this maries to field that have beend. separa jeffrey: and the setting in charleston is crucial. >> is a great environment for students because we have such an environment right in the heart of the city. arjeffrey: one pticular part of the charlston history ledho to e sc's existence. as hurricaneugo battered the city in 1989, local officials and resident found there were few craftsmen in the u.s. that knew how to rebuild to proper standards. a smallew training program gr into a school and by 2004, into the college. today it lures a mix of

students, fresh out of high school, like 18-year-old iris howe, who is learning to carve one. what did her friends back home in fredericksburg, virginia, say? >> what? stone carving? like what they did a long time ago before they figured out other stuff? exactly that. male population, but i was hopes young women as she did.s excited >> i just saw people working with their hands and creating s ings that outlive them. i thought that ally cool. jeffrey: there are also older students like this 31-year-old wheaserved eight in the marine corps. with a concentration in timber framing, here has cn at home and wants to put his artistry to work for living. >> you dip your toes into every aspect of it, the way the crafts men used be, understanding

every aspect of this industry. i can go into design work. elegant joiner for structure. i can i beolved in every aspect of the process and workoith the homeowner complete a project. jeffrey: clearly, this isn't for everyone. you have to like adding dusty and sweaty. >> this side was about 11 inches sunken down. jeffrey: even working in graveyard spirit students routinely honed their craft in the community. senior peter was part of a team that restored tombs in the historic circular congregational church dating to 1681. he attended a traditional college, but decided it wasn't for him. >> we have a desire for, as things become more digital andel tronic, to create things we can touch and see. the most amazing thing about

this is, onceou are done, you can look at it and say, that is what i did.je rey: the question is whether this school is a model for others. the good news here, much touted, is that every graduate comes up with a job. >> and be seamless. jeffrey: as a student, joe helped restore this historic home. he now works for a local design company. after getting a prestigious fellowship aa famed french shop, he saw how artists and theirmore valued >> i feel this is based around moneta value and aching it fast instead of making something that is unique and truly great. jeffrey: do you think that is changing?>> i feel it is. the schools in that mindset o making things by hand. in theschool i starting to

take america by storm. jeffrey: that is quite a home. r the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown and s -- jeffrey brown in charleston. judy: hooray to each one of you for pursuingoihat. end url to have a job. that is the best part. separately, on the newshour online, hurricane laura rapidly grew from a hurricane 1 -- from four in just one day. storms build su intensity so fast, and what role might limit change play? we explore that on s.org/newshour. and that is the "newshour" for tonight. for all of us, please stay safe. and we will see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> major funding for pbs

newshour has been provided by, ♪ fidelity wealth management. johnson & johnson. financial services firm raymond james. bnsf railway. the ford foundation, working th visionaries on the front w lines of chanldwide. ♪ and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪

this program was made possible by the corporation forc pub broadcasting, and i contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ this is pbs newshour west, from weta studios in washington, and our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalismart izona state university. ♪

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